Handy Work
04 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Accessories, Crochet, Garments, Gifts, UserFriendly
For a period of time earlier this year (during this long span of silence) when I was mad for making fingerless gloves.
I remember having bought one of the crochet books in my collection years ago when I was a teenager, and I bought it chiefly because one of the featured patterns was for this super-cool pair of black fingerless gloves. Unfortunately, back then, I couldn’t get my brain wrapped around the instructions for making the gloves, and was totally lost because of the references to stitch gauges etc. etc. (today I know while the gauge is important, I can get along without following it to a T), hence the only satisfaction I was able to derive was from looking at the picture and imagining that I had managed to complete a pair.
Last year, during the initial stages of re-exploring crochet as a craft, I found a fingerless glove pattern that had been inspired by the Twilight New Moon movie. I hadn’t watched the movie, but I did like the featured picture of the gloves and so I decided to give it a try. I made the fingerless gloves for four people: colleagues, Mel and Michelle, who were going away to do her Masters, my father-in-law in Germany, and my beloved godsister, Fiona, in the UK. Mel was the luckiest of the lot because her gloves were the most evenly sized and mostly fit her. Michelle’s were too tight but she soldiered on bravely with them and even told me that they were a great comfort for when she was needing to do computer work when the weather was cold. Fiona’s were much much too big — possibly because of the yarn I had chosen for the project as well — and looked like something one might present to a boxer about to enter the ring. As for my father-in-law’s pair… my brave husband tried them on and told me that one was too big while the other was too small, but I didn’t have time to do them over, so I sent them anyway. My father-in-law was very kind and said that he liked them very much. (This year I’m going to make him a pouch for a foldable walking stick; sizing shouldn’t be an issue there. It might be another year before I’m brave enough to attempt more male clothing items.)
Anyhoo, I decided to explore the idea of the lacy fingerless glove further and was rather more successful.
Heather
Raspberry
I used the pineapple pattern to make both the front and the back of the gloves and was so thrilled by the effect that I made two pairs of them in quick succession in two different colours. (the varigated yarns really helped kick up the impression of the gloves being somewhat more complex a notch). I didn’t even have to do much increasing/decreasing with the gloves because the point was to have the lace pattern stretch out to be seen.
Solid Shell Pattern Side
Sweet Shells Pattern Side
That being successful, I decided to play around with the pattern a bit more and vary the front and the back of the gloves so that I could have a more ‘solidly covered’ palm while still being able to enjoy the lace on the back. To my glee, wearing the gloves on the opposite hands instead also allowed me to have two ‘differently patterned’ pairs of gloves for the price of one, as it were.
The Back
The Other Back
I was also able to successfully port over the sweet shells pattern from the bolero, with a very pleasing effect. So of course, I had to experiment with using two colours of yarn to make the pattern stand out even more.
The glove projects being so small and portable, I quite literally brought them everywhere with me and got it down to being able to make one glove per hour bus ride. That was pretty cool.
Candy Cane
Pinky Shells
What this meant, of course, was that fortunate victims wound up receiving gloves as gifts. I was able to give Michelle two pairs of rightly-sized gloves to replace the too-tightly-sized one. She picked the yarn herself — it might be quite noticeable from my other projects that pink and white are not my immediate first pick of colours. But, personal preference aside, I much prefer if the gifts I can now make can be personalized as much as possible. If people are willing to pick out their own yarn, so much the better. And, in the end, I found the results quite sweet and pleasing to look at. 
Racing Stripes for Jill
I also gave Jill, my some time intern (the idea that I had an intern to do my bidding was absolutely mind-boggling), was also gifted with a pair before she flew off to the United States. I made bad hints about colour and she guessed I was going to make something for her. In fact, I now recall that it was the gloves I had made for her that inspired me to use the same colour combination to construct what would turn into my Nonya-esque sweater. I also made her a scarf to match that was probably a slight over-kill. I’m surprised that no one quipped how just because she’s headed off to the States didn’t mean that I had to give her something long enough to lasso steer with, but oh well… Genius that I am, I forgot to take photos of the scarf. Again.
I made so many gloves that I thought: perhaps I know how to write down the pattern now.
And?
I think I’ll stick to just construction for now. The pattern notes I made don’t make sense quite like the real thing does.
Nonya Twist
03 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crochet, Garments, Sweaters
Poofy-Haired Nonya Wannabe
Phew! It’s been quite a while since I last put up a post to report on the various crochet projects that my hands have been busy with.
That’s the thing, isn’t it? When I look at how many projects I’ve managed to finish in these last couple of months and how my notebook is bulging with my on-the-go scribbles, I wish I had more hands so that I could crochet and write and blog — while still maintaining my day job! — all at once.
I figure I have to go about it slow and build up to a more consistent pace with everything. Right now, it feels like I do one or the other but never get to cover the range of what I want to do. I feel like I have learnt so much about myself through crochet, and I’ve gained confidence in myself in a whole new way because of what I feel I’m able to experiment with to get results that do please me a great deal.
Take for instance the feature sweater of this blog. It’s actually a modification of the Short’N'Sweet Shells bolero from a couple of blogs ago. I extended both the length of the body and the sleeves, made use of contrasting colours and stuck on a different edging. I’m really pleased with how the sweater turned out. It kind of has a sort of Nonya/Pernakan feel to the way it looks. The change in the colour actually creates the immpression of shaping happening at the waist though this is not actually present. That the original bolero was not meant to be worn closed also means that a certain degree of shaping is created through the inclusion of a button just beneath the bust.
The only issue might be with the material. The yarns used were 100% wool which is wonderfully warm, but perhaps a trifle too warm for use in the tropics. Then again, we have so many air-conditioned buses and malls and buildings here that even with the sun beating down on us outdoors, once indoors, the possibility of a sweater having the opportunity to be more than merely decorative is quite high.
Crochet Comedy
21 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
Brainstorming in bed for business ideas with E, I drew this simple comic that somehow managed to capture a bit of what we both care about:
Where it started
24 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Accessories, Bags, Crochet, Gifts, Hats
Ah, now that I’ve finally made these pics accessible, I can finally introduce my bits and bobs.
I’m going to start with these two items, made from matching yarn: Moda Vera 100% Acrylic 8 ply yarn, in a kind of varigated green. I’ve long since lost the yarn tags on this one, so I can’t say for certain which collection it came from or what the exact name of the colour is.
The Sweater-Bag!
The bag was actually meant to be a sweater, and had been started somewhere in 2003 or 2004 — long enough that I’d forgotten all about it, and forgotten how the pattern went. When I found it again, I no longer wanted a sweater. It had something to do with how July / August are the hottest months we get in the year, I expect, and so I decided that I would transform the would-be sweater into a bag by stitching up the base and adding flaps and a long strap.
In terms of size, it’s fairly big, but not quite A4 across, though I’ve managed to squeeze in my A4 sized stuff fairly easily; crochet does stretch, after all. And my, does it stretch! The strap I made stretched so much that I have to fold the top portion over so that the bag won’t keep sagging around my knees. The buttons for these were E’s idea — Since the lacy pattern of the bag had so many holes in it, he suggested that I use double-ended buttons, like cuff-links, and so I would be able to place them wherever I wanted, no matter how swollen the bag got. Genius! To prevent things from falling out, I used one of my old tank tops to line the bag simply by cutting off the strap portions, stitching up the bottom, and then stitching into the rim of the bag. It’s surprisingly sturdy, though I have to admit that I’ve got stuff lost in the folds in that bag more than once.
The hat that started it all!
With the same yarn (since I had bought so much of it when I had planned for the sweater), I made my first hat:
I was going for a kind of bucket cloche, like a hat I had seen on a train in England in 2008. The hat I had seen was a beautiful cherry pink, almost bell-shaped, and since having seen that hat, I’ve been scouring shops to try to find something similar. Singapore’s not the best place to look for that sort of hat, though. Either that, or I’ve just been looking in all the wrong shops!
A pleat in the back
I used an online pattern to make this hat, and the simplicity of it got me hooked. It’s half double crochet in increasing rounds and then once the bowl is big enough, you just work it straight on without increases for as long as you like then you can either add a brim of have it as a kind of beanie.
Pas de bell-shaped, mais tres belle, oui?
In trying for the bell-shaped hat, I over did it a bit, and the hat went too big. To make it fit, I gave it a bit of a nip-tuck at the back, improvising, as it were. The embellishment was changed a few times though. Initially, I had the two pearly-grey side buttons and a braid of white, green and grey yarn across the front. But that didn’t quite give it the right look, and, given some of the pitying glances I got and some people getting up on the train to give me a seat, gave the impression of being a chemo-cap on my then-bald head. I then switched to the glass beads,using transparent, plastic thread to tack each bead to the hat individually. The overall effect was better, but there’s no denying the fact that the hat simply was the wrong shape. I even tried reworking the brim a few times, but to no avail.
Still, completing this hat per most of the instructions given helped give me confidence in being able to suss out what the patterns were about to begin with, and experimenting gave me joy in the process as well as in the outcome. I happily wore this hat for a good few weeks (even though it’s really very warm to wear), and rapidly made more hats, for others as well as for myself, continuing in my experimentation with the basic pattern.
I still had some of this yarn left over even after completing these two projects. In the end, I used them in combination with the navy blue yarn to make a double-strand striped beanie and a pair of similarly striped fingerless gloves for my father-in-law in Germany. I forgot to photograph them before sending them over, so I guess you’ll have to take my word for it that the set was gorgeous! :p
Coming Undone
24 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Accessories, Crochet, Hats
Today, we took photos of the rest of the stuff which I made since I kick started this bug last year.
One last picture together
The photo spree started because I’ve just finished my second baby sling (made for my cousin who’s got a lovely 6-week-old baby; tomorrow when I see her, I’ll get her to model it, then put up pictures of it), and am moving on to constructing a shoulder hobo bag. For this project, I decided to unravel one of the hats I made last year because I hardly wear it and it’s a waste if the yarn isn’t given a chance to be made into something that I would actually use regularly.
Solo Photo
Of course, then I wanted one last picture with the hat, made from Moda Vera Marvel Plain 8ply 100% Acrylic yarn (that’s why I couldn’t wear it so often; in tropical weather, it just doesn’t breathe enough to be sane to wear it, even though I had used V-stitches in rounds to make it more mesh-like than solid) in navy blue. This yarn is now going to help give the bag a bit more height before I join in the next colour. I can’t wait to finish it, blog about it and use it! It’s going to be so beautiful!
I tried to capture details of the pattern on the hat, but as you can see, the resolution isn’t very good. Gosh, I miss my mobile phone and it’s 5.0 megapix camera. 
Anyhow, I figured that since I was photographing one item, I might as well do them all and then I can finally say that the collection is completely represented. Who knows, I might wind up taking some of these apart and making them into something new. That’s the great thing about crochet — that the old stuff can always be remade into something. That’s really useful for me as I’m learning and growing in this craft, experimenting here and there, learning about what’s useful, what kind of materials are the most comfortable for me… Being able to ‘un-make’ something means no wastage of yarn, and that’s important to me. We’ve come to be rather wasteful, as a species, and I’m glad that this craft gives me a new way to reuse and recycle some of my possessions. Things I make should be something that I (or whoever I am giving the final product to) can use, not something that moulders away in a corner, alone and sad and without purpose.
Goodbye, little hat. It was lovely to have made you and worn you some times. You protected me from the rain and kept me really REALLY warm. I’ll miss you a little, but I’ll still have you when you are reincarnated as a gorgeous new shoulder bag. We’ll be reunited then to make new, wonderful memories together. :)
Cosy Valentine
17 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crochet, Gifts, Occasions, UserFriendly
Cosy, phase 1: hearts are now apples
I had the idea this morning about how I would turn the sweet and romantic but otherwise function less crocheted Valentine’s gift I had made for E into something that he would be able to use everyday.
Thank goodness that we had decided to celebrate today instead of on Monday — some times the good ideas really do take their time about coming to me. Well, better late than never!
Since E loves drinking coffee so much, some of the gifts that I have gotten that are most used happen around coffee.
Like the perculator that I got for him as a welcome-to-Singapore present. I still think that it is one of the best gifts I could ever have thought to get him. He takes so much pleasure in his coffee, and we use it every day.
This morning, I realised that I could turn the two heart-shapes into a cup cosy so that he would have that to use as his own very special cup cosy.
Cosy AND Stable
Initially, I simply made two more hearts in the same colours, stitching them together as I went along. I loved the idea of the hearts in a ring because the circle or a ring represents eternity. Also, the cosy is meant to protect E from having to grasp a glass that is too hot, or even to absorb moisture from a cold glass. Could the symbolism of the gift get any better?
Still, as you can see from this shot I took using my water glass, the hearts kind of look a bit more like apples than like hearts, and the top curves of the heart flop away from the glass. When I presented it to him later on, along with his morning coffee, it didn’t take much for the cosy to slide down and crouch around the bottom of the glass. Not what a cosy is meant to do at all.
So I decided I would add a band at the top and at the bottom of the band of hearts, attaching to the top curves and to the bottom point. It was really exactly what the cosy needed to give it a more defined shape, pulling in the floppy bits and, as a bonus, helping define the heart-shape more.
Now the hearts look like hearts instead of apples
I’m tremendously happy with the cosy. It’s so adorable, and it’s really much more along the lines of what I prefer to make and give: useful AND decorative things that have a real place in people’s lives.
I’m wondering a bit if I should have done the bands in a different colour, but when I look at it, I really am most terribly pleased with it and how it is so bright and vibrant and just singing Happy Valentine’s!! everywhere!
More importantly, E is happy with it and loves to use it. That, more than anything, makes me feel that this truly turned into a successful gift.
Close-Knit Valentine’s
15 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
Since I started crocheting, I really have come to a place where I’m so glad that I have knowledge of this craft to put to good use. I also make jewellery, but when it comes to making pretties for men, I really feel quite out of my league some times.
Not to say that what I made for my husband this Valentine’s is particularly manly. It’s also a bit more sentimental than functional, though I think there’s potential for expansion into something that also has a practical use. If, for example I made another 6 or 8 hearts and joined them all in a ring, my husband would have a really huge coaster! I was also thinking that maybe next year I could make these motifs and attach them with a chain stitch in between instead of joining them directly. That way, attached on an elastic band, he’d have a really cute sleeping mask to help with those mornings when he wants to have a lie-in.
Joined at the heart, this year and for many to come!
Whoa, the picture makes the motifs look huge! The actual measurement of each motif is about 5.5cm across at the widest portion by about 6.5cm top to tip. I used cotton yarn (4 ply, I think; I got rid of the labels long ago, before I was at a stage to think about making a record for substitution purposes) and a size 1 needle. The pattern I followed is #134 from Edie Eckman’s Beyond the Square: Crochet Motifs.
I love that I can play with the colours with such freedom. That way, creating something that is symbolic and meaningful is also easier. With the two colours to represent the masculine and the feminine, I got to intertwine the love that we feel for each other as well as to signify that everywhere we go, we go with the security of knowing that we are held in each other’s hearts many times over!
I do kind of wish that the motif was a little bit more pointy at the bottom tip so that the heart shape is a bit more prominent, but perhaps it’s for the best. After all, in this relationship for a lifetime, the less sharp and pointy edges the better — I’d rather have smooth curves and delicious waves any day!
Short’NSweet Shells
10 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Accessories, Crochet, Garments, Sweaters
I'm thinking of adding a button for a low-closure at the front
This was the bolero that I was initially planning to have finished in time for CNY. As you can see, the yarn I chose for it is again a lovely festive colour, and it’s also perfect for Christmas because the rosy base colour has silver-white highlights. Isn’t it great that I finally got down to making it after both Christmas and Chinese New Year?
I procrastinated because when I looked at the pattern, it appeared a bit complicated. But the comments by the author were right, and after a few repeats, I was able to continue working the pattern without looking at the chart at all. The instructions for the construction were simple to follow as well, so I kind of really feel like beating myself up with a stick for not getting around to it sooner.
The yarn I picked for this piece is no longer available (at least, that’s what they told me when I bought the last 5 balls on discount) in this colour, but it’s got a gorgeous texture that makes me want to go back to the shop to see what other colours they still have. It’s Patons Zhivago Home in colour 0004 (I so prefer it when they give the yarn colours names instead of numbers! If I had to name this yarn, I’d call it ‘Snow on Roses’). This is a different yarn thickness from the yarn recommended in the pattern, so I used a different sized needle (6mm instead of 5mm) as well, and did some improvising on the pattern.
When I look at how pretty the pattern turned out, I wonder why I took so long to get around to it.
The pattern, ‘Short’N Sweet’ by Angela “La Vonne” Best, is taken from Debbie Stroller’s Stitch ‘N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, which I’ve had for some time now. It’s only the second pattern I’ve tried from this book. I think I buy crochet books and magazines just to look at the pictures and sigh over how beautiful everything is and to wish I had the patience and endurance to work through them all.
This one was really a quick piece of work. All the openwork made the fabric build up quite fast. I started this on Sunday 6th February, and was finished by yesterday, 9th February. It was nice to work something in a different colour and texture after a month of orange, and that the results are so pleasing is no pain either!
I modified the edging because I took it all around the bolero, including the bottom edge, instead of just following the front-right, front-left and neck as the pattern suggested. This was also because I had modified the length of the garment, and where the pattern ended looked a bit better supported with a stronger outline. The sleeves were also modified to pull in the flare and also to accommodate the fact that I was running out of yarn. Using the chain stitch joins followed by a row of single crochet really helped to nip the sleeves in a bit more for a better fit for me, while also allowing me to complete the entire piece with nothing left wanting and nothing to spare.
Other modifications I made include an adjustment to the shoulder base row as well as to the armhole lengths due to factors such as using a different yarn as well as my own body structure. A few months ago, I would probably not have felt so comfortable with modifying the pattern to suit my own needs. In fact, the first top I made from this same book I took quite a long time with because I lacked the confidence to make adjustments as I went along and wound up having to unpick the work and start over.
In sum, the adjustments I had to make were really fairly minimal for this piece, and I am totally pleased with the results.
Stepping Up
10 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Accessories, Crochet, Garments, Shoes, UserFriendly
On Chinese New Year, my aunt decided to give me two balls of yarn (Woolbale 8 Ply 100% Pure Wool) that she had bought some time ago and never quite got around to using. As it happens, they were in the same colours that I had just finished using for my CNY garment: orange and yellow.
Just when I thought I’d seen the last of any orange yarn! After working in that one colour for almost a month straight, I was ready to see something new.
Still, I made a pair of house shoes for my grandmother to wear because her feet get cold easily on the tiled floor.
This is the first time I’ve tried making anything for the feet.
Actually, that’s not quite true: I did try to make some kind of house slippers way back when I was a teenager, but the pattern confused me and I gave up after a while.
For this pair, I made a oval base in orange, built on that with three rows of cluster stitch in yellow, and closed the top with double crochet rows, joining to the cluster stitches on either side as I built up the top.
They look a little raw, but they are quite stretchy and do fit both my grandmother and myself though we wear different shoe sizes, so as a first attempt, I think they just about pass muster even if they won’t win any competitions.
As a finishing touch, I’m going to stitch on some anti-slip lining to the base so that my grandmother won’t slip and have a fall if she uses them in the house. I finished these in two days (3rd-4th February), and I’m quite excited to start another pair with a slightly different approach to see if I can get a better looking finished product.
Mandarin Orange
10 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Crochet, Garments, UserFriendly
I had so much yarn leftover from making the baby sling that I decided to do another experiment.
I have a book about using the back-loop-only technique for creating clothing that drapes better, but I hadn’t yet tried any of the patterns. And, of course, instead of just getting my book off the shelf and finding a pattern to follow, I decided to make it up in my own head and create my own pattern, crochet about 16 long rows, before I finally referred to the book. I had to make some adjustments to the stitch progression, but all in all, it was a good experiment in shaping a garment by using a progression of different stitch types, and Mary Jane Hall’s Crochet That Fits was useful to have as a reference.
A big bouncing grinning orange visited my relatives this Chinese New Year. I wonder who that was...
This garment – I can’t decide if I should call it a blouse (it’s a bit to long for that), a dress (it’s a teeny bit too short for that) or a tunic (somehow, it flares out a bit more than I think I tunic should flare out) – is made from the same Panda Cotton Blend 8ply (50% Cotton, 50% Acrylic) that I used for the baby sling in orange (about 10 balls) and yellow (1 ball). Using the one yellow ball of yarn to create a kind of ‘racing stripe’ on the front of the top which helps to slim down my silhouette when I stand at the right angle to the camera.
I was particularly pleased with the way in which the shoulder straps turned out because they were 1) wide enough to balance off the rest of the garment (since I had stuck with using the orange, the overall effect was kind of loud and massive), 2) they were sturdy enough and didn’t stretch as much as some other knit / crochet wear I have with skinnier straps, possibly because of the way the weight of the garment could be better distributed, and so I didn’t have the gradual boob exposure experience that I have had before, and 3) they were wonderfully comfortable. They were finished right on Chinese New Year morning itself. I had tossed and turned wondering if I was going to be able to finish it on time, and was up by 7am, crocheting on the couch till 9am, when I finally managed to finish up the 15 rows-a-side straps, and weave in all the lose ends.
Although my stitch tension has evened out quite a bit over the last few months, and I am able to get a material that is even without bumps or holes, this garment has some slightly uneven stitches here and there where I was attempting to join new yarn without tying a knot. On hindsight, I should have either put up with the little knots because they are slightly easier to conceal than what I tried, or I should have just joined the yarn only at the ends of the rows, nevermind the scraps. Then again, if I were to do the garment over, I would change the colour completely instead of using all that orange. It’s appropriate for the festive season, and I was glad to have something ‘auspicious coloured’, but at the same time, my figure doesn’t need all the advertising that orange brings.
Maybe that's a bit too much peek-a-boo
On the upside, the back-loop-only vertically worked material created the effect of vertical stripes rather than horizontal ones. That, added to the yellow stripe in front and the strawberry motif (there it is again!) panel at the back, did help to emphasize length over width.
Since it was overall an experimental piece, I incorporated the openwork at the back. Next time, I might shorten the panel so that I won’t have to wear my skorts under the garment all the time. In our tropical weather, it’s nice to have some breeze, but there are some places where breeziness, particularly when one is in public, is not such a plus (not to my self-confidence, in any case).
All in all, I think it turned out well enough. It’s a bit on the loose side because I overestimated the number of rows I needed to encompass my girth, but that just means that it’s really comfortable to wear while having, I think, just enough drape not to look like a sack. I’m pleased to find that the material really isn’t too warm at all and, as the largest garment I’ve tried my hand at so far, I think I finished it in a manageable length of time (ie. not too long that it got tedious and I gave up), starting on 23 January and finishing on 3 Febuary, in time for the first day of Chinese New Year visiting.
tammyebb
